I need some tips for getting over homesickness. It’s been a month and a half, and I still miss home terribly (I’m a freshman). I’m an introvert and struggle with making friends. I’ve joyed clubs, but I don’t know how to go up and talk to people. I feel alone, and I really miss my family. I also miss the comforts of home and my routines from home. I feel really uncomfortable in my dorm. I really wish I never came to college.
Hugs to you, Laurel…folks will jump in soon with great advice…just know that there are so many people right now that feel the same way.
The board is littered with posts about homesickness. You aren’t alone! Keep doing what you are doing in terms of going to clubs and making an effort to speak to someone new every day. It will get better!
A big tip I give over and over is accept how you feel and stop telling yourself something is wrong that you need to get over. Nothing is wrong, what you are going through is the downside of big transitions. Try to think more positively about what you’re feeling. Missing home and your family is a wonderful thing, it means that you feel loved deeply. There is a steep learning curve as a freshman who just left home. You will be able to adjust and persevere, and when you do you will feel proud of yourself. Homesickness isn’t some discrete thing that just goes away, and even when you’re more adjusted it will come and go.
In the meantime FaceTime or Skype or text with your family as you need, you’ll fall into a communication routine. Remember they miss you too.
You can do this!
My grad school kid took over a year to settle into her new school. She has very gradually tried new things, made some friends, and built a social life that makes her happy. She, too, is an introvert. Give yourself time. Keep busy. If one thing isn’t working, try something new. Example: my kid quit the HS volleyball team after 9th grade, and said she wasn’t interested in intermural sports as a way to meet people at her new school at first. But she recently met some women who invited her to join their team. She went because she liked them, and found that she had fun. Don’t worry if it takes a while. You can do this.